Sep 26, 2007
In a post yesterday I ran on at the mouth about the kind of fun a winemaking and wine marketing simulation game would be to a very limited number of people. Of course I assumed nothing of the sort existed. Richard A. was kind enough in the post’s comment section to set me straight. Something of a simulation does exist. SimVin is a very rudimentary simulation of the winemaking and wine marketing experience with the emphasis on rudimentary. However, it…
Sep 25, 2007
The idea of putting 30 roses on your wine list is really quite absurd…unless you are ready to promote the hell out of rose to your patrons. I assume that’s exactly what Campanile does. For this kind of courage and this kind of contribution to the wine industry they should be given some sort of an award. I flew down to Los Angeles on Sunday for a meeting on Monday. I’m not an LA kinda-guy. I have friends and a…
Sep 17, 2007
I hesitated to provide the quote below. The reason is that it suggests that the article written by Clark Smith at Appellation America is not the best, most thoughtful exploration of "The Big Wine" phenomenon yet written. In fact, that’s what it is. Rather, by providing this quote, it suggests that Clark’s "Some Like It Hot" article is just one more lobbing of a bomb. It’s not. It’s much more. However, this small piece of Clark’s article, which does indicate…
Sep 14, 2007
I was watching the latest episode of, Mad Men, the best new drama on Television, and I swear I saw something very interesting and very wine related. Toward the end of the latest episode, Mr. and Mrs. Draper are having a quiet late dinner together at home. Mrs. Draper, the consummate housewife, admits to having "thrown the dinner together with what’s leftover." Mr. Draper assures her is a wonderful dinner. On the kitchen table sits, I’m almost positive, a bottle…
Aug 29, 2007
In response to Monday’s post about how the creation of new grape varieties will enhance winemakers’ status as "artist", one dear reader offered this comment: "How can anything you ultimately excrete be called art?" This is a darn good question that deserves and answer. Most often you hear winemaking referred to as both an art AND a science. Technically I think winemaking is clearly more "art" than science, unless you think of winemakers as mainly practitioners of the "fermentation sciences"….